1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as copying machines and laser beam printers, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus which is arranged to firstly transfer an image form a photoconductor onto an intermediate transfer member and secondly further transfer the image onto a transfer material.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,406 discloses an apparatus which is designed to print a multicolored image on a flexible material such as cloth by applying an electrophotography. The apparatus is arranged to successively form each colored image on a photoconductor and to firstly transfer the image onto an intermediate transfer member one after another each time the image is formed, and thereafter, a multicolored image formed on the intermediate transfer member is secondly pressed to be transferred onto a flexible material under electrostatic pressure.
However, in an image forming apparatus, a photoconductor and an intermediate transfer member are always pressed in contact with each other, and therefore, it is required to drive both of them even if only one of them is required to be driven since it results in scratching the one which is not driven. Besides, it is inevitable to have physical damage when both of them are driven since they are always in contact with each other. Further, there has been a problem of causing electrical fatigue as the result of repetition of frictional charge and exfoliating discharge which repeatedly occur when the surface of both members contact each other at their contacting portions and are separated after passing through the contacting portions.